Schuylkill Haven's Anna Schaeffer pulls up for a jumper during Friday's District 11/1 Class 3A girls' basketball win over Mahanoy Area at Blue Mountain High School (Photo by Karlee Feger).

ORWIGSBURG — For the first time in 39 years, the Schuylkill Haven girls’ basketball team is headed to the PIAA playoffs.

Anna Schaeffer led all scorers with 15 points as Schuylkill Haven defeated Mahanoy Area 46-26 on Friday in a District 11/1 Class 3A quarterfinal at Blue Mountain High School.

The victory advances the second-seeded Hurricanes (21-5) to Tuesday’s semifinals, where they will face No. 3 New Hope-Solebury, a 56-46 winner over Northern Lehigh, at 7:30 p.m. at Martz Hall.

The top four teams from the District 11/1 Class 3A field qualify for the state tournament, meaning all four semifinalists make the PIAA playoffs. The last time Schuylkill Haven made the state playoffs was in 1986, when the Hurricanes placed third in District 11 Class A and lost 61-59 to Elk Lake in the opening round of states.

Friday, Schuylkill Haven started off hot from the tip, with Schaeffer scoring seven of the Hurricanes’ opening 12 points. Alea Porter and Taylor Haag each added a bucket to the first quarter. The Hurricanes’ defense excelled, holding the Bears to only five points, a three-pointer from Felicia Bro and a layup from Ella Connolly.

The Hurricanes continued their defensive pressure and offensive aggression in the second quarter, outscoring the Bears 16-5 to take a 28-10 halftime lead.

Sophomore forward Mckenna Runkle scored eight of her 12 points in the second, including two 3-pointers. Bro scored the Bears’ five points, going 3-for-4 from the foul line.

“Our defense is where we thrive,” Schuylkill Haven junior guard Audrey Hutchinson said. Hutchinson has shown her defensive discipline all season, contributing multiple steals a game, including Friday night.

“We just have to stay true to our principles.”

Schaeffer picked up where she left off in the third quarter, scoring five points. Runkle and Hutchinson also added buckets off steals, showing off their defense to offense execution.

Five different players got to the hoop for the Hurricanes in the final eight minutes to close out the game. Connolly scored four points and the Bears shot 50% from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Bro was the only Mahanoy Area to reach double figures, scoring 13 points. The Bears finish the season 14-10.

The win is the sixth straight and 10th in the last 11 games for the Hurricanes.

“We thrive under high-pressure situations now so I think that’s what prepared us for this game and showed in how we performed tonight,” Schaeffer said after the game.

“Staying disciplined and applying our defensive pressure is what wins us games.”

Game Summary

District 11 Girls’ Basketball

Class 3A Quarterfinal

At Blue Mountain High School

MAHANOY AREA (26) — Bro 3 5-6 13, Connolly 4 0-0 8, Kowalick 2 0-0 4, Carl 0 1-2 1, McGowan 0 0-0 0, Hornung 0 0-2 0, Haughney 0 0-0 0, Zubris 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 6-10 26.

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (46) — Runkle 5 0-0 12, Siket 0 1-2 1, Hutchinson 3 1-2 7, Schaeffer 6 2-2 15, Porter 1 0-0 2, Ulsh 1 0-0 3, Haag 2 0-0 4, McDonald 1 0-0 2, Goehring 0 0-0 0, Strenkoski 0 0-0 0, Houvig 0 0-0 0, Benedict 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-6 46.

MA (14-10)             5 … 5 … 7 … 9 — 26

SH (21-5)                 12 … 16 … 8 … 10 — 46

3-point FGs: Bro 2, Runkle 2, Schaeffer, Ulsh